Chapters 4-6
If Gideon Merrill knew why Royce had sent his daughter to California�and Royce was sure that he did�he made no comment. Martha brought Riva with her the next time she came to visit Victoria, and the three of them browsed the shops and had luncheon at a well-known restaurant. �Riva was so disappointed when Kate told her she was leaving.�
�Since we were delayed, it seemed a shame for her to miss the time with her brothers and sister�and, of course, there�s a new baby coming.�
�Yes, she mentioned that. How many grandchildren do you have?�
�Thirteen at the moment.�
�Oh, my!� Riva blushed at her involuntary reaction.
�Yes, it�s quite a brood,� Victoria said. �The house is overflowing.�
�I hope they have good help!�
�Oh, yes, although we lost our mainstay last year. Silas helped raise my children, and Kate was quite attached to him. I miss him, too. He was a good friend.�
�I�m thinking of taking Riva to Italy in the fall. Levi still has family there�a brother and some cousins.� Martha gazed at her daughter. �There�s no one left here except Father.�
�I understand. Everyone needs extended family.�
Martha seemed about to say something, then stopped. Victoria waited, but the conversation turned to lighter topics. She knows, Victoria thought. Or she suspects at least. I wish I could tell her to go now.
************
�The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow night,� Royce said as they ate supper in their suite.
�Who will be there?�
�Petree, Geoghan�and Gideon, of course.�
�I�d like to go with you. It wouldn�t appear odd that I�ve accompanied you to visit with Martha.�
�I don�t want you involved in any way.�
�Royce. . .�
�No, Victoria. I�ve notified Markham. He�ll contact me.�
�I don�t like letting you go alone.�
�I don�t like the thought of you anywhere near possible danger.�
�Do you think it�s really dangerous?�
�The unknown always has a potential for danger.�
�Then at least go armed.�
�You know I don�t own a gun.�
�Buy one tomorrow then.�
�No.�
�Royce, your resolve frightens me.�
�I�m so sorry, my love.� He reached across the table to take her hand. �But I have to follow my instincts. When I threw away my gun years ago, I knew it was the right decision�for me anyway.�
********
They went to bed early. �Once�before I met you�I thought that, past a certain age, the fires of passion burned out,� Victoria murmured as she lay in his arms later.
�Perhaps the flame sinks to a rosy glow instead.�
Her low, throaty laugh broke the stillness. �You still arouse me as much as you did almost seventeen years ago.�
�Do I?�
�I remember when we discussed taking Kate�you said that you didn�t want things to change between us. I knew you meant the freedom to indulge ourselves in the bedroom.�
�Not just that.�
�Primarily that.�
�All right, I admit it.� He lifted her face and found her lips.
�I was shocked at the attraction I felt to you. I thought I�d put all that behind me.�
Royce pulled her closer. �Anjanette Vandemeer was determined to marry me off. She arranged dozens of assignations.�
�Assignations?�
�Meetings at dinner parties with romantic intent.� He kissed her again. �You know exactly what I mean!�
�Yes, but I enjoy stirring your sense of propriety.�
�Am I proper?�
�Decidedly so, although you can be quite creative.�
�This is a rather risqu� conversation, isn�t it?�
�I like it.�
�You would.�
�What is that supposed to mean�that I�m not proper?� She stretched her body the length of his.
�You�re amazing.�
�That�s better.�
�Do you want your nightdress?� he asked after awhile.
But she was asleep.
**************
Gideon Merrill sent a carriage to bring Royce to his home. As he rode, Royce reflected on the two Pinkerton agents also on the road�and two more posted on the Merrill estate. Or so Markham had told him when they went over the final instructions.
�If you can get proof of anything treasonous�anything at all�it will at least take Petree and Geoghan out of the picture.�
�It would be my word against theirs�and against that of a United States senator if Gideon is, as you say, in league with them.�
�Their word is already suspect, and Senator Merrill has aroused the interest, shall we say, of people who can control him more effectively than Richard Wright can do.�
Now, as the carriage rolled through the darkness, Royce considered the enormity of the task before him. He admitted to himself that he was angry. Angry at the existence of sectional hatreds and political intrigues. Angry at the betrayal of a man he�d considered a friend. And angry at the other man who had carried a grudge for fifty years.
He thought of Catherine then and remembered what she�d said to him the night they�d gone away to be married. I was never like my family. Sometimes I wondered if I really belonged to them, if their blood really flowed in my veins. But I accepted them because it was all I knew until you came into my life and showed me that there is goodness and gentleness in the world after all. I love you, Royce. Whatever my family says or does, it won�t change how I feel about you. I�ll love you until I die.
And she had. She had loved him until she�d died so violently, so uselessly. Then they�d taken her back and stripped her of who and what she was by burying her under a cold marble stone that didn�t even bear his name. He shook his head to clear it. There was Victoria now, and Kate, his miracles. Catherine would be glad for him.
When the carriage stopped suddenly, he put his head out the window and looked for the welcoming lights from the house, but there were none. Instead he made out the dark, square shape of a small cabin set a few yards from the road and realized he�d been duped. Had they known about the agents at the house?
The carriage door swung open then. �Mr. Wardell?�
�That�s right.�
�Please step out, sir.�
Royce got out.
�This way, if you please.�
�I was under the impression we were meeting at Senator Merrill�s home.�
�This way, sir.�
***********
Victoria stood at the window staring down on the busy street without really seeing it. For the first time in her life, since that awful day her father had finally closed his eyes for the last time, she felt completely alone. She tried to picture Kate safe in her train compartment, but it was impossible to picture Royce except in mortal danger. Why hadn�t she urged him to refuse John Markham?
This is a young man�s game, and Royce is no longer a young man. He�s risking his life for�for what? He�s a businessman, not a politician. An ex-soldier, not a Pinkerton agent. He�s Kate�s father and my husband�the most important person in our lives. If we lost him. . .oh, god, if we lost him. . .
A knock at the door startled her from her musings. �Royce?� But the man outside the door was not her husband.
�Mrs. Wardell, I�m John Markham. May I come in?�
She stood aside to let him enter. �What is it? Has something happened to Royce?�
�Not that I�m aware of, but something has happened. The carriage never arrived at Senator Merrill�s house.�
Her hand flew to her throat.
�He still has two agents following him. It�s just that the two we placed at Merrill�s house reported that apparently the meeting has been moved. They�re trying to find the place now. Did your husband mention anything to you. . .�
�Nothing. When he left here, he was under the impression that he was going to Gideon Merrill�s home.�
�I see. Well, we�re fanning out over the road they should have taken. I�m sure we�ll locate them.�
�You�ll let me know immediately?�
�Of course, Mrs. Wardell. Please don�t worry.�
Too weak with fear to continue standing, Victoria sank down in the nearest chair and considered that her own life, too, might be coming to an end�might indeed have already ended.
*************
Royce followed the men toward the darkened house. Inside a single kerosene lamp in the middle of a table illuminated the faces of the men sitting around it. One of them was Gideon Merrill.
�Gideon, I expected. . .�
�I�m sorry, Royce. We received information that Pinkerton agents would be watching.�
�Pinkerton? Why are they involved?� He heard his own casual lie and hoped that the Pinkerton men were not only involved but very close.
�Let me introduce Mr. Petree and Mr. Geoghan.�
Royce acknowledged the men with a curt nod but didn�t offer to shake hands. �All right, I�m here. What is it that you want with me?�
�We know about you,� Petree said.
�Oh?�
�We know all about you.�
The man�s obvious ignorance was almost humorous.
�All right.�
�What do you know about the Saviors of the Second Confederacy?�
�The what?�
�You heard me.�
�I heard you, but I have no idea what you�re talking about.�
�The ex-Rebels who are planning another rebellion against the Union.�
Royce laughed. �They didn�t include me in their plans�if they exist at all.�
�We have a list.�
�Is my name on it?�
�Yes.�
Royce glanced at Gideon. �The list you showed me didn�t have my name on it.�
�You must have missed it,� Gideon parried.
�I didn�t miss it. It wasn�t there.�
�Wardell, we know you�re involved. We have enough on you to arrest you for treason right now.�
�Then I suggest you do it. Under the Constitution, I�m guaranteed a fair and speedy trial with representation.� He turned toward the door. �If that�s all, gentlemen. . .�
�Sit down, Wardell.� He heard the soft click of a pistol.
�Are you planning to pass judgment and execute me right now?�
�Sit down.�
Royce sat.
The man he knew as Geoghan placed a piece of paper on the table. �We want evidence on these men.�
�I don�t know any of them.�
�You�re lying!�
�I took off my uniform the day after Appomattox, gentlemen. I haven�t had intentional contact with any of my officers or men since then. I can�t give you what I don�t have.�
�Then we�ll tell you about these men, and you�ll sign an affidavit that you agree with what we�ve said.�
So that was it. He�d sign the paper saying that the men whose names were on it were involved in treason. His death, however and whenever it came, could be blamed easily on those he�d betrayed.
�We already know about these traitors. We need the proof in order to make our move.�
�What kind of move?�
�The South is going to feel the victor�s heel on its neck again, Wardell. It�s just a matter of time. We all know that the end of Reconstruction was a political move. It didn�t mean that the Confederacy was really back in the Union again.�
�Military rule, is that it?�
�That�s right. Worse than before. Every ex-Rebel will be stripped of his citizenship the way it should�ve been in sixty-five, and no paper oath will wipe out what anyone did.�
�Is this the position of our current government or. . .�
�Governments come and go.�
�So you�ll institute a government that concurs with all this?�
�That doesn�t concern you.�
�As a citizen of this country, it concerns me very much when someone indicates that he advocates the abolition of the Constitution.�
�It�s a piece of paper.�
�I see.�
�Are you going to sign?�
�Did you think I would?�
�If you want to stay alive.�
�I want to stay alive, but I won�t make a false statement.�
�Not even to keep your family alive?�
Icy fingers of fear gripped Royce�s throat, almost taking his voice. �My family isn�t involved in all this.�
He turned to Gideon. �You are in league with them then?�
Gideon didn�t meet Royce�s eyes. �Yes. I had no choice.�
�We�ll get them, Wardell. . .your wife. . .your daughter.�
Royce fought for control. �You are the traitors�filth,� he murmured.
Petree half-rose and delivered a stinging slap that sent Royce reeling back in his chair. �Shut up!�
For a moment Royce couldn�t speak. Then he decided not to. He�d dealt with conscienceless men like Petree and Geoghan before. There was nothing he could say. It was Gideon Merrill�s duplicity that disturbed him. Had he been so wrong about the man?
As if Gideon knew what Royce was thinking, he turned to him. �I�m sorry,� he said. �They threatened Martha and Riva.�
Royce nodded.
�Your last chance, Wardell. Sign this, or you�re a dead man.�
Royce gazed at them without expression. �No.�
As Petree took aim, Royce gauged the distance between his hand and the lamp on the table, then lunged forward. The lamp crashed to the floor leaving the room in total darkness. As he rushed for the door, he heard the sound of the gun and felt several hands grip his arms.
�Go, go, go!� someone muttered.
Propelled along by an unknown number of men, he felt himself half-carried across the ground, then flew headfirst into an open wagon that was already moving. More gunfire shattered the stillness of the night as the wagon sped up.
Part 5
Victoria was dozing on the settee when she heard the door open. �Royce!� she sprang to her feet, but the face she saw was not her husband�s.
�Mrs. Wardell, I need you to come with me.� The young man was blonde and soft-spoken, reminding her somehow of Heath.
�Come�where is my husband?� Victoria felt groggy, as if she weren�t fully awake.
�It�s very important for you to do exactly as I say. Now.� He reached to take her arm, but she backed away.
�Who are you?�
�Not the only person who may be in this room tonight, and it�s important that you be gone when they arrive.� He stepped toward her again, and again she backed away.
�Mrs. Wardell, I don�t want this to be any more difficult than it has to be.
She thought of making a dash for the bedroom and locking the door, but the man had anticipated her and moved to block her path.
�Where are you taking me?� She lifted her chin in the same haughty manner than she often cautioned her daughter against.
�You�ll be safe.�
�Is my husband safe? Will he be there?�
�Shall we go?� The blonde man took her arm, not roughly, but in a manner that she recognized as anything but a simple courtesy.
�Am I permitted to take anything with me?�
�Not at the present.� He opened the door and stood waiting. �Shall we go?�
She noticed that she was not hurried down the five flights of service stairs which exited in the rear of the hotel. Outside, she was helped into a carriage with black curtains covering the windows. It began to move immediately.
In the darkness, Victoria couldn�t see the face of the man sitting across from her, but she knew that she�d remember it. But would she have a chance to remember anything? She bit her lip until she tasted blood. Kate was safe�that was all that mattered. And Royce�well, he had followed his conscience. His integrity was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him�and would love him forever, wherever they were.
She closed her eyes and let the motion of the carriage lull her into drowsiness. When she woke fully again, they were not moving.
�Mrs. Wardell.�
�Have I arrived at my destination?�
�This way please.�
He assisted her from the carriage and took her arm again. In moments she found herself in a bare hall.
�We�ll go upstairs. It�s only two flights.�
She gathered her skirts and moved forward.
They emerged from the service stairs into a dimly-lit hotel corridor. At the far end, the man produced a key and unlocked a door. �In here please.�
She stepped inside. Immediately, the door closed, and the soft click of a key turning told her that she was a prisoner. Her prison was quite obviously another hotel suite, somewhat smaller than the one she�d just left, but well-decorated and comfortably furnished. She made a quick tour of the rooms, but there was no escape. All she could do was wait for whatever was going to happen.
***
John Markum walked with Royce through the hotel lobby to the elevator. �I�m all right,� Royce said, not bothering to disguise his irritation.
The Pinkerton agent hesitated. �I�m needed elsewhere, but I want to make sure. . .�
�I�ll go directly to my room and secure the door. The only danger I face at this point is my wife�s wrath.�
�I�ll have another agent posted outside your suite as soon as possible. We�re spread rather thin tonight.�
�If you must.�
�I think it�s wise.�
Royce stepped into the elevator. �Goodnight, Mr. Markum. I�m grateful for the quick action of your men. They saved my life. But I can�t say that I�d go along with you again.�
�I don�t blame you. And I thank you, Mr. Wardell. You�ve done more than you know.�
As the elevator doors slid shut, Royce leaned against the wall and tried to gather his composure to face Victoria. She would need reassuring that he was all right�but once she knew that. . .
***
Victoria let the drapes fall back into place and turned away from the window. She�d been walking around the hotel suite, fighting sleep, for what seemed hours. Strange as it seemed to her, she wasn�t afraid. Perhaps she was going to die tonight, but because she had been brought here unharmed, she expected there would be some answers before she was disposed of.
She had convinced herself that her husband was dead, and perhaps that accounted for her lack of fear. She had prayed, since the day she met Royce Wardell, that she wouldn�t outlive him. Together they had made provisions for Kate�financially and otherwise�and while they treasured their lives with her, they both realized that, because of their ages, their time together as a family was limited. So it wasn�t fear that filled her heart and mind now, but rather regret for what she�d never experience with her daughter.
In the bedroom, she lay down without turning back the covers. There was nothing more she could do, and a weariness of spirit overtook her. She closed her eyes and let sleep come.
***
Royce searched the suite for any clue to Victoria�s absence, but there was none. He hadn�t really expected to find anything, but he couldn�t accept that she was really gone. If he�d signed the document. . .if he�d let Petree and Geoghan kill him. . .would that have guaranteed her safety? Would Richard Wright have been satisfied with his life and left Victoria alone?
Twice he lifted the receiver of the house phone and each time returned it to the cradle. There was no way to reach John Markum, and the promised agent might be hours arriving at the hotel. And what could they do anyway? If Wright had arranged for Victoria�s abduction, he might make contact�or he might not. There was no question in Royce�s mind that he�d turn himself over to the man in return for Victoria�s safety�but that wouldn�t happen. A man like Richard Wright wouldn�t be satisfied with anything less than total vindication.
Finally, Royce opened the door and, finding the corridor deserted, walked to the elevator and waited.
***
The blond man concealed by a large pillar in the almost-deserted lobby swept the area with eyes that missed nothing. The moment that Royce Wardell exited the elevator, he made his move.
�Colonel Wardell.�
Royce reacted visibly to the title he hadn�t heard in a quarter of a century. The man standing in front of him looked familiar, but a name refused to associate itself with the face.
�Colonel Wardell, you don�t remember me. I�m Lamar Osborn. I was your aide-de-camp for the last two years of the war.�
Royce frowned. �Lieutenant Osborn? You survived the bullet you took for me?�
Lamar Osborn smiled. �No thanks to the field hospital I was in, but yes, I survived.�
�What are you doing here?�
�I�m here for you, Colonel Wardell. If you�ll follow me toward the back, there�s a carriage waiting.�
�You�you�re going to take me to join my wife.� It wasn�t a question.
�Yes. This way, sir.�
The Pinkerton agent sent by John Markum walked through front entrance of the hotel only seconds after the two men disappeared toward the rear.
Part 6
Victoria woke to find Royce bending over her. When he sat down and lifted her in his arms, she buried her face in his shoulder. �I was sure you were dead! What happened?�
�I�ll tell you about it later.�
�Colonel Wardell, if the two of you will join me in the other room. . .�
Royce took Victoria�s face in his hands. �Kate is safe. We have to be grateful for that. And what we�ve had together. . .�
They sat close together, their hands clasped, as Lamar Osborn began to speak. �I was there tonight, Colonel Wardell. I saw and heard everything.�
Royce searched the younger man�s face. �If I knew which side you were on, it would help.�
Osborn�s face remained impassive. �There isn�t a side�not really. There�s only the necessity for preserving the Union.�
�So you�re not still a Southern sympathizer.�
�I was never a Southern sympathizer, Colonel Wardell. I, like you, took up arms only because the South was my home. And both of us participated in her destruction for four bloody years. It was inevitable that the Southern cause should die.�
�I agree.�
�After Appomattox, I went home and tried to rebuild, but there was nothing left. So, I came to New York and enjoyed a satisfactory success in business. Then, two years ago, I was approached about the Saviors of the Southern Confederacy.�
�From what I understand, the organization doesn�t exist.�
�Oh, it exists�but not for the reasons that you were given�and it�s not necessary that you know any more than that.�
�It seems to me that I�m owed more information�considering the risk I took.�
�I suppose that depends on how you look at it.� Lamar Osborn sat down and studied the backs of his hands. �You took a risk�but it paid off.�
�You�re a Pinkerton agent then.�
�No�officially I�m nothing. The people I deal with would deny all knowledge of my existence if I were exposed. Suffice it to say that I move in somewhat shadowy circles.�
Victoria�s eyes narrowed. �Just what is it you�re trying to tell us, Mr. Osborn?�
�Only this�that you are both safe. And so is your daughter.�
�Kate! They didn�t. . .� Royce�s face paled.
�Your daughter is, I believe, about to be turned over to her brother as we speak. The traveling companion provided by the Pinkertons was unaware that the people I work for also had someone on that train. And so, for the record, did Richard Wright.�
Victoria�s hand went to her throat. �Dear god!�
�That person is no longer a threat.�
�He�s dead?�
�Yes.�
Royce took a deep breath. �I need to understand all of this.�
�No, you don�t, Colonel Wardell. You don�t need to understand at all.� The younger man rose. �Now, your things have been packed and are being delivered to you here. Also, there is no record of your ever having been registered at the other hotel. And the Pinkerton agent assigned to you will be here shortly�as soon as the message I sent to John Markum is delivered.�
�Do you know John Markum?�
�Yes, and he is aware of me�but not by name. Our work parallels, but the right hand doesn�t know what the left hand is doing. That is, until it�s done.�
�So you don�t want me to mention your name.�
�I�d prefer that you didn�t. I was given this assignment because of our connection during the War.� He turned to Victoria. �I apologize for the anxiety you�ve experienced, but I felt it prudent to get you to this safe place before making any explanations. Then, I had to go back for your husband.�
Victoria nodded. �I understand.�
Royce got to his feet. �You�ve saved my life twice, Lt. Osborn�and the lives of those most precious to me, my wife and my daughter.�
�Believe me when I say that it was my pleasure.�
�Will I see you again?�
�No. No, you won�t see me, but I�ll see you.� He held up his hand to forestall the inevitable questions. �Your luggage will be delivered shortly�when you hear the word campground, you may open the door. I�d advise you not to open it again until John Markum arrives tomorrow.�
�I understand. Thank you. Thank you for everything you�ve done.�
Lamar Osborn smiled, nodded, and left the suite. But he waited in the corridor until he heard the key turn in the lock.
Pocketing the key, Royce took Victoria in his arms.
******
John Markum arrived as Royce and Victoria were having a late breakfast. �How are you this morning, Mr. Wardell?�
�Bruised. . .stiff and sore. . .and very aware of my age.�
�He could have been killed.� Victoria�s visible anger drew the agent�s full attention.
�He wasn�t. And as I told you last night, we believe we now have enough evidence to close down the entire investigation of a bogus southern insurrection.�
She reached for her coffee which spilled onto the table. �You almost closed down his life!�
Royce put his hand over hers. �Victoria.�
Markham smiled. �It�s a thankless job, but somebody has to do it.�
�Not my husband!�
�He�s done us a valuable service, Mrs. Wardell. We�re grateful. If we need him to testify later. . .�
�Hasn�t he done enough? Leave him alone! Just leave both of us alone!�
Royce frowned. �Victoria, this isn�t like you, my love.�
�And as for you�if you ever do again to me what you did last night, I�ll. . .I�ll. . . .� She threw down her napkin and rushed from the room.
�She�s a little upset,� Royce murmured.
�To say the least.�
Royce pushed his plate away. �What will happen to Gideon Merrill?�
�Nothing.�
�I don�t understand.�
�I didn�t tell you last night because. . .well, I just didn�t. He�s dead.�
�Dead! My god!�
�We think that one of Petree�s or Geoghan�s shots went wild�or maybe not. One of our agents fired his gun several times, but it was outside. He can�t be sure, but he doesn�t think he hit anyone.�
Royce thought of Lamar Osborn and wondered if a bullet from his gun had found Gideon�on purpose.
�Was Gideon heavily involved?�
�Yes. It�s true that his daughter and granddaughter had been threatened, but to refuse to help Wright and the others was political suicide.�
�His position meant more to him than his ethics?�
�It seems so.�
Royce folded his napkin with none-too-steady hands. �Did his daughter know?�
�She believed what he told her. She didn�t know that you were going to be asked to sign a false statement�or be threatened with death if you didn�t.�
�What will she do now?�
�She mentioned going to Italy. I believe her husband�s family is there.�
�Yes. Will Gideon be�discredited?�
�No, that would work against our investigation. He�ll have a funeral befitting a United States senator and a decorated military veteran�full honors.�
�If I didn�t mention it last night, thank you for what your agents did.�
�It was quick thinking on your part to smash that lamp.�
�There was nothing else to try.� Royce hesitated. �And Richard Wright? Will he continue to pursue my family? Must I spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder?�
�He was visited by. . .well, let�s just say that he�s tipped his hand, and it wouldn�t be in his best interest to continue in his present course.�
�And he knows that?�
�He knows it very well. Just�disposing of you�wouldn�t be satisfying to him. He must have your honor, too.�
�What about Victoria and Kate?�
�It was to be a package deal�your honor and your life�and theirs. He won�t settle for anything less, and his window of opportunity has passed.�
�You�re sure of that.�
�As sure as I can be. Wright�s no fool. He�d be the first one looked at if anything happened to you or your family. However much he hates you, he values himself more. This didn�t center around you, Mr. Wardell. You just happened to be caught in the undertow.�
�I suppose I�ll have to be satisfied with that.�
Markum rose. �You�re free to leave New York, of course. I hope you can convince your wife not to leave you!�
The men laughed together. �She�s really quite reasonable. And we�ve been together seventeen years. She�s rather attached to me.�
They shook hands at the door. Then Royce turned and went to the bedroom. �Victoria.�
She looked up from the case she was repacking. �I�m so angry with you!�
�I know.�
�I don�t intend to bury you!�
He chuckled. �No? You look ready to kill me.�
�Don�t joke about it!�
�You�re right�I�m sorry.�
She threw down the skirt she was folding, buried her face in her hands, and sobbed.
�Victoria�I�m sorry.� He held out his arms, and she threw herself into them.
***************
Five days later Victoria sat in the library at the ranch holding her newest grandson. �What a handsome boy!�
Heath hooked his fingers in his vest. �Sure--looks like his papa.�
Victoria shook a finger at him. �I don�t know who he looks like, but I�d advise you to keep him.�
�We plan to.�
�Do you have a name for him yet?�
�As a matter of fact, we decided that if this one was another boy, we�d name him for Royce.�
Royce looked up from his paper. �For me?�
�Well, yeah, we sorta thought it was your turn. I mean, there�s already enough Jarrods and Nicks and Heaths runnin� around.�
�I�m honored, Heath, really.�
Kate leaned over her mother�s shoulder to inspect the baby again. �Would you have named him for me if he�d been a girl?� She glanced up at Heath.
�Uh�no. One KatieBee around here�s enough.�
�I�m insulted.�
�Yeah, I can tell.�
Kate kissed the top of her mother�s head and went to sit on the arm of her father�s chair. �I�m glad you sent me ahead so that I was here when the baby was born. And I�ve ridden one of the Arabians at least once a day.�
�So you�re not annoyed with me any longer?� He took her hands between his.
�Oh, Papa! I�m only annoyed if you and Mother had a wonderful time without me.�
�Never, Kate precious.�
�Certainly not,� Victoria added.
�Then it�s all right.� She observed the look that passed between them. �How do you do that?�
�Do what, Kate?�
�Talk to each other without saying a word?�
Victoria smiled. �It�s one of the great mysteries of life that only reveals itself to you at a certain age.�
�And I�m not that age yet.�
�Exactly.�
�But the two of you understand each other?�
Royce got up and took the baby from Victoria�s arms. �We understand each other,� he said, bending to kiss her. �We understand each other very well indeed.�
Epilogue
From the journal of Dr. Katherine Barkley Wardell:
Jarrod told me this story just a year before he died. I don�t think any of us ever realized the extent of his political influence despite the fact that he was elected twice to the California legislature and once to the United States Senate. He said he didn�t care for politics and refused to run for office again, accepting instead an appointment to the state supreme court where he served honorably until his first stroke.
�Katiebee, Royce was one of the finest men I�ve ever known. Sometimes, when I become cynical about the state of the human race, I think of him. He is an example of the good triumphing over the evil in this world.�
�He loved Mother, and he loved me.�
�And everyone knew it. He wore that adoration like a coat.�
�Mother always said that children tended to reflect their environments. I�ve always tried to live up to their example.�
�You�ve done a fine job, honey.� He stared into the fire and sipped his brandy. �Mother told me once that I resented you�that I was jealous of you.�
�Jealous of�why, Jarrod?�
�Because of Royce. Of what he was to you. Of what he gave you that my own father never gave me.� He shifted in his chair. �My father loved me, Katiebee, and I realize now that he was proud of my accomplishments�and I like to think he�d be proud of what I�ve done since his death. But I was an extension of him�do you understand? I was never my own person, not for a long time. Not even for a long time after he died. Royce gave you the advantages that money made possible just as my father gave me. But he also gave you the best of himself. He was there for you in a way that Tom Barkley was never there for me.�
�I�m sorry, Jarrod.�
He shrugged. �It�s over. It was over a long time ago. I almost made the same mistake with my own son�with Trevor�until Mother made me realize what I was doing.�
�She was a very wise lady.�
�Yes, she was.� He rose from his chair and, leaning on his cane, crossed the room to kiss me. �I hear Trevor with the automobile.�
�Car, Jarrod,� I said.
He gave my cheek a gentle pinch. �That�s what you hook to the engine of a train, my dear doctor.�
�All right, call it whatever you want. It gets you where you�re going faster than a horse and buggy.�
He laughed. �Sometimes I think we�re all in too much of a hurry these days.� He kissed me again. �Goodnight, honey.�
*********
Papa had been gone for fifteen years the night Jarrod told me the story, so I couldn�t account for the anxiety that overwhelmed me. Unable to sleep, I lay in the dark remembering instead. Mother had seemed to hover over Papa that summer at the ranch. I even asked her if something was wrong with him, but she assured me that his health was fine. Certainly he seemed as vigorous as a man half his age, and he often said that I kept him young. Still, Mother�s solicitousness for him had concerned me for a time.
Then I thought of how, returning to Nashville after Papa�s funeral, I�d saved the life of a man who�d choked on a fish bone in the dining car. Only later did I realize that I�d saved Richard Wright, the man who had carried a grudge against Papa for over half a century. Now I knew that he�d also tried to have him killed.
Squeezing my eyes closed, I visualized the man�s face and understood that I had gazed into the face of unadulterated evil. I sat up in bed, gasping for breath, as the next thoughts pounded in my brain. Would I have used my medical skills so expertly had I known who he was? Would I have struggled to save his life if I�d known that he would have taken Papa�s? I didn�t even want to guess at the answer to those questions.
As implausible as it seems, the son born late in life to Richard Wright eventually married my daughter. The younger Richard has been a faithful and attentive husband to Vicky and an outstanding father to their children. And, he has been like a second son to me. I�ve never regretted not telling him�or anyone else� my personal experiences with his father.
Now I am almost as old as my parents lived to be. It has been a good life, and I have few regrets. The anger I felt toward Richard Wright, Sr., has long since dissipated. Papa used to say that, one way or the other, a man received justice for his actions. I wonder what Richard Wright received for his and hope it was enough.
Just last year I wrote a letter asking my son John to burn these journals�unread�on the occasion of my death. I know he will honor my request. My parents left me with good memories and a legacy of integrity that I want to pass on to my children and grandchildren. It is, after all, the only worthwhile thing anyone can leave behind.
THE END